The Lumbopelvic region encompasses the sacroiliac joints, the symphysis pubis, and the groin (adductor) muscles. There are many structures such as ligaments and muscles contributing to stability in this region, and dysfunction in any structure can result in pain and/or instability.
Pelvic disorders and injuries, such as athletic lumbopelvic dysfunction (LPD), are a common problem among male and female athletes participating in sporting activities. Lumbopelvic pain often results from overexertion and/or overuse of the pelvis, and can lead to conditions including adductor tears, sacroiliac joint dysfunction and osteitis pubis. Such injuries are often refractory to treatment and can limit an athlete's return to competitive sport.
Due to many pelvic structures being linked anatomically, there is often a difficulty in diagnosing the primary site of pain or dysfunction. Often there is more than one structure involved; for example, there may be a hip, groin, lumbar spine and/or abdominal component involved in the disorder. Pelvic disorders are, therefore, often difficult to diagnose accurately as there is often more than one site of injury. Secondary sources of pain are often missed and often not accounted for in treatments prescribed for primary sources of pain. Groin pain may occur in between 2-5% of all sports injuries, and the incidence of groin pain may be far higher in some sports, for example groin pain may occur with between 10-18% of all football injuries.
A wide range of techniques are currently used to treat pelvic injuries, for example electrotherapy, surgery, strengthening and stabilisation of the pelvic joints and hydrotherapy. Research using pelvic belts has indicated that compressive forces applied transversely to the pelvis can result in an improved lumbopelvic stability and reduced lumbopelvic pain. Dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses (DEFOs) such as compression shorts have also been used for preventing and treating athletic lumbopelvic injuries.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,752 discloses a pair of compression shorts for restricting movement in certain areas of a wearer's body to protect injured or recovering muscles. However, the compression shorts of U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,752 have been reported to restrict an athlete's range of motion during hip flexion. Such a restricted range of motion is likely to affect the performance of athletes participating in their sport while wearing the shorts. Any loss of performance caused by the restricted range of motion will be more keenly felt in technical sports such as high jump, triple jump, or hurdles.